We Boast in the Cross Alone
Stand Firm in Freedom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Bragging as little boys and “Dead Man’s Alley”...
I’ve never really seem myself as much of a braggart…but I came to a realization a few years back that I’m good at boasting. Not necessarily about myself, but about my kids...
In today’s text Paul teaches us what we should boast about, and it’s actually pretty startling, as we shall see.
Body: Galatians 6:11-18
Body: Galatians 6:11-18
Verse 11
Interesting verse for a couple of reasons:
By Paul mentioning he is writing this part with his own hand suggests that he used an amanuensis for writing the rest of it...
Amanuensis’ in the ancient world...
Why this part in his own hand?
Paul’s mention of large letters in somewhat mysterious:
Paul’s eyesight?
Paul’s Hebrew background (unicals)?
Paul making an emphasis?
Verses 12-13
A final warning against the Judaizers...
Judaizers...
Paul identifies the real motives of the Judaizers: pride
Two areas of pride we see here:
They wanted look Jewish enough to other Jews…(i.e. “they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ”)
Wanting to look Jewish enough to other Judaizing Christians (remember, they still considered Gentiles unclean)...
Also possibly non-Christian Jews, in order to save themselves from being persecuted...
To show their devotion to Judaism…(i.e. “that they may boast in your flesh”)
Again, they wanted to return to Jerusalem to prove to the other Judaizers (and possibly non-Christian Jews) that they were still devoted to their Judaism.
Key Term: Boast
The Greek word here means “to show off verbally.”
We often connect the term with those who are arrogant or braggarts...
Pictures...
But, in reality we all boast at times.
The boasters I put on the screen boast in themselves, obviously.
But that’s not all we boast in.
To boast is to express confidence or hope in something, someone, or ourselves.
I may boast in my abilities to grill a steak; how reliable my car is; how smart my daughter is; how hard a worker you are; how wonderful my wife is; what a great investment I made; etc...
For the Judaizers, they wanted to boast to the other Jews, how many of these new Gentile Christians they won to their side of this argument.
By doing this, they believe they will look good to others.
But look at what Paul says to this:
Verse 14-16
Paul’s boast: the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The cross itself is an instrument of death.
One of the most brutal forms of execution in human history...
How could someone boast in that?
However, the cross as an object is not what Paul is boasting in: it’s what was accomplished on the cross that Paul boasts in!
The cross represents Christ Jesus sacrificial atonement.
Sacrificial...
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Atonement…to repair the broken relationship between God and humanity
Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross is what repairs our broken relationship between God and His people; all those who will trust Him as Savior and Lord.
What did Christ Jesus accomplish on the cross:
Christ’s cross puts pride to death.
Christ’s cross puts pride to death.
“…far be it from me to boast…the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world…neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision...”
Christ’s cross tells us that we cannot save ourselves...
Christ’s cross brings about a new creation.
Christ’s cross brings about a new creation.
“…but a new creation.”
Christ’s cross alone can bring us peace with God.
Christ’s cross alone can bring us peace with God.
“…all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them...”
Why does he say “upon the Israel of God”?
This is a hapax legomenon, so scholars debate as to the meaning.
It is my view that Paul’s pointing to all of God’s people who find their hope in Christ, Jews and Gentiles.
Verse 17
What does Paul mean by “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus”?
Verse 18
Short greeting and blessings ends the letter.
It’s a different sort of ending for a different sort of letter. He begins it different than the others and here ends it different, likely because the situation in Galatia is so dire, Paul gets right to the point and repeats the point at the end.
Notice, that despite all of this, Paul still calls them “brothers.”
So What?
So What?
The last couple of weeks we’ve considered what it means to walk by the Spirit instead of giving in to the desires of the flesh.
This morning’s text actually gives us a good reason why we might give in to the works of the flesh and fail to walk by the Spirit. It’s pride.
While we don’t share the same sort of pride as the Judaizers, but we have our own struggles with pride, particularly when it comes to walking by the Spirit.
We don’t want to look like an “extremist” to our neighbors...
Because we have unconfessed and unrepented of sin in our lives...
Because it’s much easier to wear the cross as a symbol than to carry our cross daily...
Some of the most confrontational words we can ever hear are these from Jesus:
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Let’s be honest, it’s easier to wear a cross around our neck and venerate the instrument of death than it is to take up that instrument of death every day, dying to ourselves and living to Christ.
What are we to do?
Go back to the heart of the Gospel message: Jesus finished work on the cross!
Christ’s cross puts pride to death.
We don’t have to live in pride. We can come to the cross and confess our sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We can ask Him daily for the same heart as Paul: “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
What if we prayed everyday that the world would be crucified to me and I to the world? Are we brave enough to pray such a thing?
Christ’s cross brings about a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. God takes that which was broken by sin in the Fall of mankind and creates a new man or woman.
You died to the old way of life if you are in Christ.
Christ’s cross alone can bring us peace with God.
Look at what Paul says in Ephesians:
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
All mankind lives in hostility to God. As Paul has made clear throughout this letter, we can do nothing about this through works. In fact, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone.
That is what gives us peace with God.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.